Reel mowers

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I got tired of my roommate bitching about have to tinker with my lawn mower to get it to run perfect. So this weekend I picked up a reel mower. It is completely manual. He is ok with the idea being a borderline hippie. I have done some reading on how to sharpen the blades and how to adjust them. Do you guys have any suggestions from experience? How often should the blades need adjustment/sharpening?
 
We have spent the last year getting the rocks out of the yard. they aren't bad any more.
 
Will this work with 15acres?
 
If the grass isn't too tall though, you can't beat the cut
 
I hope your lawn is level.... if not, start buying bags of sand and start the leveling process...
 
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I hope your lawn if level.... if not, start buying bags of sand and start the leveling process...

It has some roll to it but they are smooth. It is in the works to sod the yard. If it is done properly we shouldn't have a problem.
 
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3weeekhomepage.webp
 
1941 Dunlop Defiance

I bought my reel mower three years ago at a yard sale for $10. It took $35 more dollars to plane the bed knife and sharpen the blades. The cut is amazing and I got three good years out of old ironside before it cracked in two. I am hoping my 22 year old lawnboy 2 stroke dies soon so I can buy another reel mower.

Glutton for punishment with 15 acres.

Mom & pop shop should have sharpening compound/handle to touch up the blades as needed. As stated earlier, you will know when to sharpen the blades because everything will still be there after your first, second, and third pass with the mower.

Happy cutting!
 
you will know the reel/bedknife are in need of attention when it starts leaving strands of grass still standing. As for how long between sharpenings
depends on your location/yard/grass/weather/etc.

you can adjust it yourself but in order to sharpen and/or backlap you will need special equipment and backlapping compound

as for adjusting you can do that yourself. Use a post it note...it should cut the piece of paper cleanly all across the reel. Just keep your fingers clear when doing this. The max clearance you should have is folding the post it note once and it will cut one piece of the note but not the other.

I'm sure you could come up with an innovative way to backlap yourself between sharpenings by rigging up a power drill and gettng some compound. But you need special equipment to regrind the bedknife and reel.
 

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